MOSCOW INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL STUDIES OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

On October 6, 2008, a scientific conference "Events in the Caucasus and the reaction of Asian countries" was held, organized by the Department of Complex Problems of International Relations of the Institute.

The conference was attended by researchers and teachers of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation. About 20 people made presentations. A wide range of issues related to the positions of Asian countries on the Russian-Georgian armed conflict in August 2008 were discussed.

A. M. Khazanov (IB RAS) in his report "Events in the Caucasus and the reaction of the outside world" said: "If we talk about the background of the current Caucasian tragedy, then two time bombs have historically been laid here." The first was when the so - called national-territorial separation was carried out in the 1920s and 1930s, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia became part of the Georgian SSR. The second is when, after the collapse of the USSR, Georgia and Azerbaijan were admitted to the UN in the form in which Stalin outlined them on the map in the 1920s and 1930s.

B. G. Koibayev (Vladikavkaz University named after K. Khetagurov) in his report "The South Caucasus between the West and the East: towards the history of the formation of a regional security system" showed the place and role of the South Caucasus in the strategic plans of non-regional players in the international arena. According to the speaker, there is a real danger of turning the South Caucasus zone into an arena of clash of strategic interests of the United States, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Western Europe. Having analyzed the "big game" that is being played around the South Caucasus, B. G. Koibayev made the following conclusion: "At present, Azerbaijan and especially Georgia have made their unequivocal choice, choosing the path to fully develop political and economic ties with the West. This position is sometimes contrasted with Armenia, which, along with normal relations with the United States and Europe, gives priority to a strategic military-political alliance with Russia, which is one of the reasons for the polarization of the region."

B. V. Dolgov (IB RAS) in his report "Events in the Caucasus and the countries of the Near and Middle East" analyzed the positions of a number of Arab states regarding the events in the Caucasus in August 2008. The speaker described the official position of the majority of Arab states regarding Russia's actions to repel Georgian aggression in South Ossetia as"wait-and-see neutral". They did not join the anti-Russian position taken by the leaders of the United States and EU countries, and at the same time did not openly support Russia's actions. According to the speaker, such a reaction was quite predictable, given that most of the Arab countries are economically and politically dependent on the West, and above all on the United States. Of all the Arab countries, only Syria expressed direct support for Russia's actions in South Ossetia.

U. Z. Sharipov (IB RAS) in his report "Comparative geostrategic positions of Russia during the Georgian-Russian armed conflict and the global financial and economic crisis of 2008" presented the main macroeconomic and geostrategic indicators of the potentials of the Russian Federation and its main opponents on the world stage. It follows from them that the US GDP is 21.3% of world GDP, and Russia's GDP is3.9%. However, despite the measures taken by the Government of the Russian Federation to overcome the negative impact of the global financial crisis, we should not discount the fact that in the last 20 years, the ruling circles of the USSR and Russia made serious mistakes, which together caused sensitive blows to the national economy on a strategic scale. According to the speaker, the consequences of the past continue to have a restraining effect on the recovery of the entire country and are likely to continue for some time to come.

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life of the country - both in the economy, as well as in the social, political and military fields.

I. V. Okhrimenko (Dip. acad. Russian Foreign Ministry) in the report " Turkey's position on the Caucasus crisis. Socio-economic and political aspects of regional security", in particular, noted that the results of the five-day war in August 2008 pushed Turkey to develop a new strategy in Eurasia against the background of the Russian policy of a strong regional leader. On August 11, 2008, Turkey proposed the creation of the" Platform for Stability and Cooperation in the Caucasus", or" Caucasus Pact", the first stage of which is the creation of a platform for developing cooperation by Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia with the support of Russia and Turkey. According to the speaker, as a result of the events in the Caucasus, a situation has developed that is completely unfavorable for Turkey, which is suffering significant economic losses. This forces Ankara to look for opportunities to find a common language with Russia in the new conditions. In addition, according to Okhrimenko, the already established close Turkish-Russian economic ties significantly limit Turkey's ability to openly maneuver and act to the detriment of bilateral relations.

In her report "Turkey's Position on the situation in Georgia", M. R. Arunova (IB RAS) examined various aspects of Turkey's regional interests and policy in the Caucasus. She noted that the existing relations between Turkey and Georgia allow both countries to characterize them as a strategic partnership. Georgia is important for Turkey as a "corridor" that provides it with communication with Azerbaijan and access to the energy resources of the Caspian Sea. Turkey is also interested in implementing transport and energy projects passing through Georgia. According to the speaker, Turkey is among the top ten largest investors in Georgia. Ankara is one of the leading donors to Tbilisi in the military sphere. Considering Turkey's approaches to the settlement of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, M. R. Arunova noted that Ankara supported its settlement by political means, giving priority to preserving the territorial integrity, political unity, independence and sovereignty of Georgia.

A.V. Demchenko (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "The position of the State of Israel on the conflict in South Ossetia" traced the history of relations between Israel and Georgia, starting with the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. The speaker spoke in particular detail about the visits of Georgian President Saakashvili to Israel in 2004, 2006 and 2008. However, the speaker stressed that despite the attempts of the Georgian side to expand cooperation with Israel, it was not able to achieve the supply of offensive weapons. Russia has repeatedly asked Israel to stop supplying weapons to Georgia.

The position of the Israeli government, which called for an early cease-fire, was not as harsh as the reaction of Western countries. In an effort to mitigate Russia's negative reaction to Israel's contribution to strengthening the Georgian army, the Israeli Government has launched an initiative to provide humanitarian assistance to South Ossetia.

V. V. Evseev (IMEMO RAS) in his report "Azerbaijan and the new security strategy in the Caucasus" noted that the events of August 2008 significantly changed the entire configuration of the security system in Transcaucasia. The speaker believes that Azerbaijan's current non-aligned status allows it to pursue a multi-vector foreign policy, while simultaneously building good-neighborly relations with Washington, Moscow, Ankara and Tehran. Speaking about the problem of the status of the Caspian Sea, V. V. Evseev noted that it cannot be solved in the coming years. Therefore, military incidents that have already taken place in the southern part of the Caspian Sea are possible. The new security system will be sustainable if regional States, including Iran, participate in its creation, and it should be non-aligned in nature.

I. I. Ivanova (IB RAS) in her report "Turkey and the Caucasus crisis" noted that after August 2008, the Turkish establishment came to the understanding that Ankara will have to develop new approaches in the region, including in relations with Russia, which, according to Turkish analysts, has declared itself as a regional state. the leader. The speaker stressed that the events in the Caucasus caused another important event. Turkish President Ahmet Gul visited Armenia for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Babacan said that the Russian-Georgian crisis has pushed Turkey to reconsider its policy in the Caucasus and move closer to Armenia.

In her report "The Problem of South Ossetia in Turkish-Russian Relations", G. A. Uysal (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) reviewed the history of Turkish-Georgian relations, starting with her visit to Georgia

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Prime Minister of Turkey Demirel in 1992. According to the speaker, Ankara's position on the events in South Ossetia can be assessed as maintaining neutrality. It is an ally and business partner of Tbilisi and a trade and economic partner of Russia. A peaceful solution to the conflict was very important for Turkey.

Olga Dedovskaya (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in her report "On Japan's Response to the Caucasus crisis" cited a number of official statements describing Japan's position on the issue of the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia in August 2008.Japan called on the conflicting parties to immediately stop using armed force and avoid a deterioration of the situation through dialogue. According to O. A. Ledovskaya, Japan has taken an uncritical position in relation to the actions of the Georgian government. However, despite some solidarity with the EU countries and support for their actions, Japan's position was characterized by its typical caution and wait-and-see attitude.

K. A. Belousova (Gos. ped. un-t) in the report "The 2008 Conflict between Russia and Georgia and the US response" showed the role of Washington and NATO in the escalation of the Russian-Georgian conflict.

Summing up the meeting, A. M. Khazanov noted that the conference was very useful. It helped to highlight a number of important issues related to the international community's response to the events in the Caucasus in August 2008.The exchange of ideas that took place during the conference, he said, was productive and will undoubtedly help both researchers and practical organizations to understand these events.

B. Ya. DANILOV

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October 8-10, 2008 The Department of Asian and African Languages held an inter-institute scientific conference "Oriental Studies Readings 2008", dedicated to the 190th anniversary of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the 50th anniversary of the Department.

The conference was attended by scientists from Moscow (representatives of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FSB Academy, Eastern University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, ISAA MSU, MGIMO (U) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, NIVC MSU, RSUH, RUDN University), St. Petersburg (representatives of the Institute of Linguistics. research. Russian Academy of Sciences, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.GU), Ukraine - more than 60 people in total.

The conference was held in six sections. 50 reports covered such issues as vocabulary, grammar, typology, computer descriptions of Asian and African languages; written monuments of Asian and African languages; comparative studies and language history in relation to Asian and African languages; and language and culture in Asian and African countries.

A welcoming speech was made by Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors. Director of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Corresponding member RAS V. M. Alpatov. He spoke about the history of the Institute and the role of the Department of Languages in Oriental Studies.

Session of the section " Activities of the Department of Languages. Personalities " was opened by zav. department of Z. M. Chaliapin. Highly appreciating the scientific work of the department's employees over the 10 years that have passed since the previous anniversary conference, she noted the successful combination of classical research methods in their work with the active use of the latest technical means and capabilities - the participation of employees in the creation and development of Internet resources, the development of original computer tools and methods for linguistic Oriental studies.

The main block of reports was devoted to the personalities of orientalists-linguists, including the memory of the departed employees of the department, and their contribution to Russian and world Oriental linguistics was especially noted. In his speech at the session of the section, V. M. Alpatov spoke about Japanese studies in the Department of Languages, where he was a former employee. Speakers at the meeting were: L. N. Morev - on Thai linguistics in the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and in the USSR / RF, N. F. Alieva - on the contribution of Russian linguists to Austronesian linguistics, N. D. Finkelberg (Voen. un-t of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) - on the connecting role of the department's activities in the development of Arabic studies and semitology, L. G. Belova made additions to this speech. L. R. Kontsevich expressed concern about the fate of archival materials collected by deceased colleagues. Two reports by A. N. Khokhlov concerned the life and scientific activities of the sinologists B. S. Isaenko and V. S. Kuzes.

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on the origins of Oriental sociolinguistics in the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The first Vietnamese intern, former employee of the department Nguyen Van Tak, spoke about his work in the department.

Further meetings were held in two parallel sections: "Computer descriptions of languages. Typology" and "Vocabulary". As part of the first of them, Z. M. Chaliapina, A.V. Kostyrkin, M. M. Kanovich, L. S. Modina, A. S. Panina, and E. S. Tarasova made a joint report on the experimental YAP complex for research on Japanese and Russian languages in their correlation with each other in automatic translation. In the report of E. V. Brechalova (RSUH), an attempt to implement an algorithm for constructing the surface syntactic structure of a Korean text was described. Problems of syntax in Hindi and Rajasthani were considered by A. A. Sigorsky (MGIMO(U)). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation) and L. In Khokhlova (ISAA MSU). Two reports were devoted to aspects of syntactic typology: L. I. Shkarban considered the problem of systematization of parameters of typological assessment of the syntactic structure of Philippine languages from the standpoint of integral and contensive typology; in a joint report by L. S. Ermolaeva, D. Kiknadze, and L. Yu. Khronopulo (all - St. Petersburg lingv, ob-vo), the typological similarity of Kartvelian languages with Japanese was analyzed. Topic of the report S. F. Chlenovoy (MSU) - "Western Tarangan in comparison with other East Indonesian languages".

The section devoted to the vocabulary of Oriental languages included the following reports: the block on lexical aspects of the Arabic language was presented by A. Y. Krylov (East. I. B. Kulchitskaya (IDV RAS), I. V. Skvortsova, N. B. Kovyrshina (RUDN University), I. B. Kulchitskaya (IDV RAS) analyzed the problems of word variation in Chinese, K. A. Markina analyzed the letter vocabulary of the Chinese language and interference problems. P. V. Grashchenkov presented a study of complex predicates in Ossetian languages. L. N. Morev, who chaired the section, repeatedly initiated lively discussions and commented on the participants ' presentations from the standpoint of the general theoretical significance of their research.

At the section on grammar problems, a participant from Ukraine A. A. Hamrai presented a report on paradigms, invariants and prototypes of grammatical meaning in the Arabic literary language. The presentation of E. N. Mishkurov (MSU) on the cognitive-functional aspect of word order in Semitic languages was accompanied by a lively discussion. P. V. Basharin's speech (RSUH) was devoted to the peculiarities of writing the endings of nominal ideograms in the Middle Iranian languages.

In a joint report by L. M. Gorelova and M. N. Orlovskaya, the historical, typological and areal aspects of information structures in the Old Mongolian and Manchu languages were considered. N. V. Solntseva analyzed various groups of demonstrative pronouns in the languages of Southeast Asia, their use as deictics in role-playing deixis. In a joint report, E. L. Rudnitskaya and Hwang Sogyong (Seoul) examined the circumstances of the final point of movement in Korean - the accusative case in adverbials. E. I. Shutova described various theoretical positions on the problem of morphology separability in Chinese. V. P. Liperovsky considered cases of biased negation in Hindi, represented by partial negative sentences with phrasal negation.

A number of reports at the grammar section were devoted to verb research. V. S. Khrakovsky (St. Petersburg) presented an analysis of the Arabic verb in terms of interaction of semantics and grammar. V. V. Baranova (St. Petersburg) analyzed the ways of grammaticalization of the verb "to speak" in the Kalmyk language. R. G. Mamedshakhov (St. Petersburg) spoke about verbs of human spatial positions in Arabic, and I. N. Komarova (Institute of Linguistics) considered aspects of the morphology of the Tibetan verb.

Of particular interest was the report of V. F. Vydrin (St. Petersburg), a researcher of the Southern Mande group of African languages, who described the origin of the case system in dan Gueta. Little-studied problems of historical morphology of Austroasiatic languages were comprehensively reflected in the report of T. G. Gibibenko, who studied in detail the typological diversity of groups of Austroasiatic languages. Different types of morphological processes in the formation of locative forms of a name in Tant Darginsky (based on a unique field material) were discussed in the report of Yu.A. Lander.

The session of the section "Cultural Monuments" opened with a report by B. A. Zakharyin (ISAA), who examined the structure, semantics and functioning of the ancient Indian word "Devadatta" in comparison with the Slavic "Bogdan". G. Ts. Pyurbeev (Institute of Linguistics) presented a report on the terms of trade, economics and finance in the monument of Mongolian law of the XVIII century."Khalkha jirum", prodemon-

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having demonstrated the established nature of the terminology of trade, economic and financial activities of the Mongolian society. T. M. Gurevich (MGIMO) presented her vision of a culturological approach to teaching Japanese.

V. M. Alpatov took part in the discussion on the reports and made a number of comments on the correlation between language and culture, on the lack of certainty of the concept of "value system", as well as on the lack of development of the comparative method in linguoculturology. The report of G. V. Strelkova (ISAA) was dedicated to the memory of the outstanding indologist V. A. Chernyshev. The author not only presented an analysis of the story "The Third Oath" by Panishwarnath Ren with its translations into Russian, but also accompanied it with a colorful video. N. N. Voropaev's report (Institute of Linguistics) on precedent names in Chinese-language discourse and their role in the formation of the Chinese value system aroused great interest. In the final part of the session, V. E. Chagall (Institute of Cultural Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) made a report on the cultural aspect in Arabic studies.

The field of comparative studies and language history was represented by five reports.

A. G. Belova analyzed the Arabic dialect vocabulary in a comparative historical aspect. D. I. Edelman (Institute of Linguistics) made a report on the possibilities of testing historical hypotheses with modern data. The problems of glottochronology in comparative historical linguistics were studied using lexicostatistical methods for constructing a genealogical classification based on the material of Semitic languages in a speech by M. E. Vasiliev (MSU). The vocabulary of Semitic languages was also touched upon in the report of O. V. Stolbova, who examined some names of birds of prey in Chadian languages and their Semitic parallels. A. I. Kogan presented an analysis of the problem of restructuring the affricate system in the Kashmiri language and its relative dating. In a joint report by A.V. Dybo (Institute of Linguistics) and S. A. Krylov, the scientific heritage of S. A. Starostin and his contribution to comparative studies were highly appreciated.

In conclusion, a general discussion was held, during which the participants of the readings noted their constructive role in the scientific exchange of views on a wide range of linguistic issues.

K. A. MARKINA

NUSANTARA SOCIETY

The Society's meeting on October 26, 2008 was dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Malay-Indonesian Readings. On the occasion of the anniversary, V. V. Sikorsky (VKLIA of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation) and N. F. Aliyeva (IV RAS) were awarded Certificates of Honor as one of the initiators of the readings. B. B. Parnikel, the permanent director (until the day of his death) of this academic seminar, and Academician A. A. Guber, who was the patron of the readings at the beginning of its creation, were remembered with kind words. A certificate of honor was also awarded to A. A. Ogloblin, head of the St. Petersburg branch of the Malay-Indonesian Readings.

At the meeting, L. V. Goryaeva (Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences) made a report on "Textual analysis of Malay Arabic sources: problems and prospects". She noted the following features of the Malay writing tradition:: 1) weakened authorship; 2) folklore type of functioning; 3) wandering of subjects from language to language of Nusantara, from oral to written literature, from narrative prose to drama - and back again; 4) arrival of borrowed subjects in Nusantara in various ways - also according to the folklore type. The following medieval novels were used as research material:" The Tale of Maharaja Marakarma"," The Tale of Bakhtiar"," The Crown of Kings","The Tale of the Victorious Pandavas".

The second informative report was presented by Mikhail Kuritsyn, General Director of the Geospektrum Association (a graduate of ISAA), who spoke about the current political and economic situation in Indonesia and Malaysia, their relations with Russia and development prospects.

On December 4, the Nusantara Society celebrated two important events in the history of Malay studies. This year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Mala studies in the Soviet Union and Russia - L. A. Mervart. N. F. Alieva, an employee of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, made a report on this topic. She spoke very fascinatingly about the creative and life path of this remarkable scientist. Trustworthiness and

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The story was made more convincing by the fact that N. F. Alieva was among the students of the first Malay group, where L. A. Mervart started teaching this language. I would like to believe that the great reverence and love for the founder of Malay-Indonesian studies, which were reflected in the speech, were transmitted to the younger generation of researchers who listened to the report with great attention.

The second event that attracted the attention of the audience was the publication of the first " spy " novel (Master Chen. "Amalia and the White Vision"), which was presented by the author D. E. Kosyrev. The novel takes place in British Malaya in 1929. At this crossroads of civilizations - the Asian world with rickshaws, secrets of Chinese triads, silver chariots of Indian gods and the western one with Portuguese sailing ships, British tennis courts and hotels "only for whites" - mysterious and terrible events take place. working under the pseudonym "Master Chen", he has an extensive knowledge of the East, which allows him to create novels in the style of spy historically benign detectives.

T. V. DOROFEEVA

CENTER FOR ORIENTAL LITERATURE OF THE RUSSIAN STATE LIBRARY (RSL)

On December 3, 2008, the international scientific and practical conference "Russian-Turkish Relations in Historical Perspective" was held. This is one of the events dedicated to the Year of Turkey in Russia. It was attended by Russian and Turkish scientists. The conference was opened by the Director of the ISAA of Lomonosov Moscow State University, a well-known Turkologist M. S. Meyer and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to the Russian Federation Khalil Akinci.

The first speaker at the conference was Ilber Ortayli, a Turkish professor and director of the Topkapi State Museum, with a report on "Reform Processes in Russia and Turkey", which set the tone for the entire conference, as it raised the question of the similarity and commonality of the destinies of the two empires - Russian and Ottoman. The report looked at events after the Berlin Congress of 1878, when both countries abandoned active policies in the Balkans. Both the tsar and the Sultan opposed the Russo-Turkish confrontation. They were opposed to any constitutional and parliamentary reforms, but they understood that their countries were given a chance to achieve economic progress. Railways and factories were built. In Ottoman Anatolia, agriculture developed successfully. The development of new lands not only solved the country's grain problem, but also made it possible to accommodate refugees from the Balkans, Circassians and Tatars who moved from the lands passing to Russia.

The Ottoman bureaucracy of the late 19th century was enthusiastic about Russian reforms. Young Turks were interested in literary life in Russia, its art and science. But at the same time, as you know, both countries were in the First World War on opposite sides of the front. The period of the late XIX - early XX centuries, according to I. Ortayla, requires additional study and identification of new information.

A.V. Boldyrev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Russia, Turkey and the problems of the Black Sea Straits in the late XIX - early XX centuries" on the basis of Russian diplomatic documents showed that even such a painful problem for the two countries as the regime of the Black Sea Straits could then be solved by mutual agreement.

This block of historical reports is also joined by the presentation of S. F. Oreshkova (IB RAS) "Current stereotypes in the coverage of Russian-Turkish relations and the need to overcome them". She traced the development of relations between these countries over a period of more than half a thousand years, which were formed in different geopolitical zones, but were repeatedly involved in military conflicts that did not always meet their state interests. According to the speaker, it is necessary to get rid of the image of the enemy that has developed in the public opinion of both countries in relation to each other. This can be facilitated by joint research by scientists from both countries on Russian-Turkish relations.

K. A. Zhukov (St. Petersburg)GU) in the report "Russian Orientalism: the image of the Ottoman Empire in Russia (XVIII - XIX centuries)" showed the evolution of views on the Ottoman Empire in the Russian society-

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the emergence of interest in it and an understanding of the common fate of the two empires.

I. V. Zaitsev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences), speaking about the role of Crimea in Russian-Turkish relations, highlighted the problem of Eastern vassalage, which is not always understood and taken into account by both historians and European politicians who made the Russian-Ottoman geopolitical distinction.

The next set of reports dealt with the emergence of socialist ideas in Turkey and the role of Russian social democracy in this process. Professor of the Bosporus University Assim Karaullioglu showed the importance of Alexander Golfand's (Parvus) activities in the preparation of the Russian revolution and its influence on the formation of Young Turks ' views. Professor Zafer Toprak from the same university gave an interesting article about the image of the October Revolution and the personality of V. I. Lenin in the Ottoman press.

The topic of B. M. Potskveria's speech is "Kemal Ataturk and Turkey's position on the eve and during World War II". Little-studied aspects of Soviet-Turkish relations were touched upon by N. G. Kireev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences), who highlighted the position of the USSR during the Mosul crisis and showed that even in this particular episode, not everything is clear, and the current assessments are not indisputable.

Leysan Sahin (Marmara University) in her report "Soviet Turkology: features of historical development and content" noted that Turkish specialists know the works of their Soviet colleagues and treat them with great attention.

Summing up the discussion, N. Y. Ulchenko (Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences) made a report on the current topical topic that underlies the current stage of relations between the two countries: "Russia and Turkey: the main stages of bilateral economic cooperation in the Soviet and post-Soviet period".

The conference showed the great interest of specialists from the two countries in the history of Russian-Turkish relations, the availability of personnel capable of conducting research on this issue in both countries, and their awareness of the need for closer contacts.

S. F. ORESHKOVA, N. Y. ULCHENKO

Kyiv

The international scientific conference "Tibetan Civilization and Nomadic Peoples of Eurasia" was held on September 26 - 27, 2008.: cross-cultural contacts"*. The conference was held within the framework of the fourth Tsyrendorzhiev Readings and was dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the formation of the Republic of Buryatia and the 85th anniversary of the birth of R. D. Tsyrendorzhiev. R. D. Tsyrendorzhiev (1923-1999) - retired colonel, war veteran, awarded three military orders-was at the origins of the creation (1974) and for many years he headed the "Society of Buryat Culture of Kiev and the Kiev region". Currently, about 800 Buryats live in Ukraine, including 100 in Kiev.

The conference was organized by: Buryat Culture Society of Kiev and the Kiev region; A. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; G. S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Museum of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko; Dalekiy Skhid Foundation.

The conference was opened by A. Zhumabaev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, M. Popovich, Director of the Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy, and A. Semenenko, Head of the Department for Nationalities and Religions of the Kiev City Administration. R. D. Tsyrendorzhiev's sons and granddaughters, Samba Rabdanovich and Basha Rabdanovich Tsyrendorzhiev, took an active part in organizing the conference and holding it.

By the beginning of the conference, a collection of articles and materials "Tsyrendorzhiev Readings-IV"was published.

Reports at the conference were presented in Russian, Ukrainian and English in four sections.

At the section "History of Science and Ideas", six reports were heard. Y. Y. Zavgorodny (Kiev) made a report "V. V. Lesevich (1837-1905) and his interest in the East: the first attempts at research". He analyzed the philosopher's works on Oriental subjects, showed the origins of the researcher's interest in the East in general and in Buryat culture in particular. V. V. Lesevich perepi-

* The report was prepared with the support of the RGNF grant No. 08-01000390a.

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D. Kalinowski (Poland) spoke about the Polish researchers of Central Asia and the Far East in the XIX century (O. Kowalewski, J. Potocki, A. Giller, M.-A. Benewski, I. Kopec). S. V. Kapranov's report (Kiev) reviewed M. Eliade's works on the religions of Tibet and Central Asia, and noted M. Eliade's fascination with the work of the 11th-century Tibetan poet. Milarepas. Y. N. Kochubey (Kiev) made a report "The movement of" Siberian oblasts "as a manifestation of the crisis of the empire". E. D. Ogneva and I. V. Otroshchenko (Kiev) spoke about the contacts of the Dalai Lama XIII with foreign diplomats, scientists and travelers and gave their assessments of the personality of the spiritual ruler of Tibet. N. N. Rudenko (Kiev) presented an overview of archival materials of the V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine related to the history of the Kalmyks. During the break, K's film was shown. Lundberg's "Maitreya Project".

At the session of the section "Cross-cultural contacts" nine speakers made presentations. D. Grela (Poland) presented the report "The ancient myth of Shambhala and its perception in Europe and Asia". B. B. Dashibalov (Ulan-Ude) made a report on "Nomads - the connecting link of the Eurasian civilization". E. G. Petrenko (Odessa) presented the report "The ancient myth of Shambhala and its perception in Europe and Asia". report "The image of the Buddha in the paintings of Nicholas Roerich". Y. V. Pilipchuk (Kiev) in his report "The first diplomatic contact between Rus and the Eke Mongol Ulus" showed the contradictions between the Mongols and the Polovtsian-Russian alliance, which contributed to the Mongol invasion of the Eastern European steppes. D. B. Pyurbeev (Moscow) spoke about the project "Great Cross of Continents" as a model of cosmoplanetary integration of the planet. S. D. Serebryany (Moscow) in his speech stressed that the alleged fact of acquaintance of Leo Tolstoy and the Buryat lama Galsan Gomboev in the Kazan clinic requires more documented evidence. N. V. Tsyrempilov's report (Ulan-Ude) " Aghvan Dorzhiev and secret Russian - Tibetan diplomacy (1912-1925)" dealt with previously unknown secret letters of the Dalai Lama XIII addressed to A. V. Tsyrempilov. Dorzhiev. These sources were found in the archive of the Museum of the History of Buryatia in Ulan-Ude. New materials indicate that Tibet was interested in political support from Soviet Russia. A.V. Shabashov (Odessa) in his report "On the Mongolian element in the composition of medieval Kipchaks" noted that the Turkic-Mongolian peoples of the Eurasian steppe were interconnected from ancient times, and this was reflected in their material and spiritual cultures. N. I. Shutova (Izhevsk) in her presentation " Polygonal space in the traditional ideas of the Udmurts (on the issue of Turkic elements in the Udmurt culture)" suggested that the idea of polygonality of the world / space was borrowed by the Udmurts from nomadic Turkic-speaking tribes.

Section " Ethnology. Shamanism". I. Lhagvasuren (Mongolia) in his report "A trip to the Altai Uriankhai people in the summer of 2005" introduced the audience to new expedition materials on places of worship and sacred sites in Western Mongolia. B. Z. Nanzatov (Ulan-Ude) made a report "West Buryat subethnic identity in the Republic of Buryatia". The author pointed out that at the current stage of development there are such ethnic divisions as the West Buryat and East Buryat subethnoses, but the boundaries between them are blurred, and there is a constant process of consolidation of the Buryat ethnic group. A. A. Osipov (Nikolaev) made a report "Synesthesia of levels of anthropological existence in the process of symbolic action of spiritual practices of shamanism". M. M. Sodnompilova (Ulan-Ude) in the report "Structure and key elements of the Buryat housing and settlement complex" paid attention to serge-the hitching post installed at the home of each family person. Serge was known to many ethnic groups of Buryats, but in each district there are variations in the number of serge at the house in the form of the top of a hitching post and different interpretations of these differences. Tkachenko (Kiev) made a report "Observations of the trance of the Oracle of the Nechung Monastery" based on field research materials in northern India in 2006-2008. S. Ya. Atutova (Kiev) presented two reports: "On the works of the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, People's Artist of the Republic of Buryatia Yuri Mandaganov "and" Life of the Buryat Culture Society in photo frames: 2004-2008".

The conference continued with the section "Buddhism: Historical, Philosophical, and Art History aspects".

E. V. Burlutskaya (Rostov-on-Don) in her speech "Structural and functional analysis of non-Buddhist religious movements" showed that non-Buddhist movements are secular in nature, and the main composition of communities is dominated by religious groups.-

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they are placed by persons of European origin. Acculturation of Eastern religions in a foreign cultural context is impossible without verification, correction, and even complete elimination of certain theological and ethical principles, integration of" alien "traditional religious elements, resulting in an eclectic and syncretic religious system. A. N. Burlutsky (Rostov-on-Don) in the report" Religious studies analysis of institutionalization processes by example religions of the Don Kalmyks-Cossacks " revealed that this process is carried out in stages and involves the formation of the following institutions: the Institute of priests (lamas), the institute of lay people (performing military service and enjoying Cossack privileges), the institute of religious education (reproducing a religious worldview taking into account social characteristics). She also spoke about the art of the Northern Buddhist metal sculpture and the Buddhist concept of the World - the phenomenon of multiple Bodies. During the break, K. Lundberg's film "Relic Tour"was shown. A. Yu. Strelkova (Kiev) made a presentation on "Non-duality of forms and consciousness in Mahayana-Shraddhotpada shastra", Yu. V. Trofimenko (Chernihiv) - with the report "AKHALAR movement as a refraction of the Buddha's teaching through the prism of ecology: theoretical and practical aspects". K. Sh. Hafizova (Almaty) in the report "Buddhism in Kazakhstan (in modern and modern times)" noted that religious life in Kazakhstan as a whole has revived. Buddhism comes from outside, as a result of the activities of foreign Buddhist missionaries, in particular from India and Japan. The main thing today is a change in the attitude to Buddhist monuments in Kazakhstan. The state project "Cultural Heritage" for 2007 - 2009 provides for the restoration of Buddhist rock paintings in Tamgaly tas. Work is also underway to compile a list of Buddhist monuments and describe their current state.

At the end of the scientific part of the conference, the participants were shown the film " Descendant of Genghis Khan, or who are you, Dr. Badmayev?", in the creation of which the actors were representatives of the Buryat Culture Society, and the tour of Kiev was conducted by a professional guide-the chairman of the Buryat Culture Society K. E. Khaltagarov.

Summing up, we note that the Tsyrendorzhiev Readings make a significant contribution to the development of Oriental studies, expand the source base for subsequent research and attract an increasing number of scientists from different countries.

B. B. DASHIBALOV

beijing

From December 9 to 17, Beijing hosted a grand event - the Third Congress of Confucius Institutes, which brought together over 500 participants from 73 countries. The high status of this event was emphasized by the fact that Liu Yandong, a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, addressed the audience with an opening speech, Zhou Ji, the Minister of Education of the People's Republic of China, delivered reports and final reports, and the opening ceremony took place in the building of the National People's Congress in Tiananmen Square. The name of the great ancient philosopher Confucius (Kung Tzu), whose ideas laid the foundations of the civilization of the Middle Kingdom, was chosen as a symbol for the structure created several years ago (Hanban - Chinese Language Administration under the State Council of the People's Republic of China) in order to more successfully spread the Chinese language and culture around the world. Over the past relatively short period of time (the first institute was opened in 2004), significant progress has been made: 249 institutes and 56 Confucius classes have been created, where about 6 thousand students are taught. courses for 130 thousand listeners, and participants of cultural programs became 10 times more. The geography of their distribution is more than diverse. It is quite natural that institutes and programs are most densely represented in the United States-in almost every state (New York, California, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, Florida, Texas, etc.), as well as in the leading countries of Western Europe (especially in the UK), Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Australia. However, there are also institutions in relatively small countries, seemingly far from China-in Iceland and Costa Rica, in Jordan and Rwanda. This proves once again that China's economic and cultural presence has become a global phenomenon.

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In Russia, Confucius institutes and classes have already been established in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Elista, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Blagoveshchensk, and Vladivostok, with two centers each in four cities. This indicates that the proposed programs are in high demand in Russian society. In their work, they face similar problems, so at the meeting of the Russian-language section for mutual support and coordination of actions (at the initiative of the director of the Confucius Institute at Far Eastern State University K. A. Kurilova), it was decided to create a regional association of Confucius institutes and classes, which representatives of some CIS countries (Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia)also showed interest in.

At the congress, working groups were organized to discuss specific tasks within the framework of the general problem: "Confucius Institutes and the globalization of education", and a seminar on teaching Chinese was held. It should be emphasized that they discussed not only the dissemination of the Chinese language and culture, but also their study. Liu Yandong's report highlighted the importance of sinological research for improving the quality of education. This was also stated in a report at the plenary session by the Rector of the University of Edinburgh, Sir Timothy O'Shea. Expressing the general opinion of the participants, he identified Confucius Institutes as strategic points that will help strengthen research contacts and give them the greatest efficiency.

S. A. KOMISSAROV

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